Arkansas Criminal History

In California, Criminal Records are Maintained by the Department of Justice
The California Department of Justice, referred to as the DOJ, is the governmental entity responsible for record maintenance of criminal histories in California. Associated with the Office of the Attorney General, the DOJ provides searches for individuals requesting their own criminal histories or employers or law enforcement officials who need the information for criminal justice reasons or hiring.

A Records Search Requires a Set of Fingerprints
If you do request your own records, you must have your fingerprints taken at a local law enforcement agency. Fingerprints for requests must be electronically transmitted, which enables faster processing of each criminal records check. As a result of the technology, any search and check can be facilitated in as little as three days or 72 hours. Making a records request costs $25 with an additional charge assessed for fingerprinting.

Why Records are Requested
Criminal histories are frequently requested by company employers as well as by people hiring childcare workers. In addition, the DOJ is often contacted by immigrants who need clearance letters to show they do not have a criminal background or history.

Background Checks are Initiated for a Variety of Reasons and therefore a Number of Forms are Available
Because of the various forms used, individuals who need criminal history checks for reasons of securing a visa or obtaining an immigration letter must comply with the requirements for those types of background checks. You can obtain further information in this regard by visiting the DOJ website, and clicking on the pertinent tab under "Background Checks."

Contact Information
The background process therefore starts by filling out the proper request form. Criminal records that are maintained by the DOJ include the subject's arrests and dispositions -- all which are kept in the archives until the subject is 100 years old. The DOJ can be contacted through the State Attorney General's Office in Sacramento, or by phone toll-free at (800) 952-5225.

Retrieve Inmate Records through the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR)
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is responsible for maintaining  the files of adult and juvenile inmates. You can locate inmate's records by using the online system that is available through the CDCR. You can either choose to search by an inmate's identification number or by his name.

The governmental entity makes it possible for the public to access details about where an inmate is housed, when he started serving his sentence and his tentative date of release. You can obtain further details about retrieving inmate information by visiting the CDCR site online.

Contact Phone and Fax
Specifically, you can access the inmate locator application on the site or make a call to the Identification Unit at 916-445-6713. Faxes can also be sent to (916) 322-0500. Information may not yet be available for recently incarcerated offenders or for offenders that have been transferred from another prison. In those cases, you may have to wait as long as a week to obtain the details you need.